An Unexpected Roommate
by pandorabox82
Summary: Christine thought that transferring to a new ship would help her find a fresh start. But when she finds that her single berth suddenly has a roommate, she knows that sometimes you have to work with the hand you're given.


Christine frowned as she stepped inside the room that was supposed to be hers for the next two years. There was already signs of occupation there, and the temperature was much too warm to be thoroughly comfortable. It reminded her of the times that she had spent in Spock's quarters, but there had been no indication that there would be a Vulcan aboard this ship. She had looked over the roster quite closely, wanting to see if any of her friends or colleagues were going to be on this expedition, and hadn't noticed any distinctly Vulcan names there. Frowning a little, she allowed the door to close behind her before making her way over to the wall where she knew the drawers would be. Pressing her fingers against the first one, she felt her frown deepen to see clothes already occupying the space. The next two were similarly full, and Christine closed her eyes as she took a few deep breaths, trying to control the anger that was rapidly rising in her chest.

"Ah, you've finally arrived."

That very familiar voice caused her eyes to snap open, and this time, the deep breaths were to calm her suddenly racing heart. Rising to her feet, Christine slowly turned to face the one person she had never thought to see again, since that had been the point in asking to be decommissioned from the _Enterprise_. "I have, and it seems that I have an interloper in my room. I was looking forward to having a place to be on my own after my shifts in Sickbay. This isn't some pleasure cruise for me, Mister Spock. I'm working with Doctor Atkins to finish the last work I need to be a medical doctor. That's what I was doing with Leonard for the last two years of our five-year mission."

He gave her the closest thing that would ever pass for a smile from him, and Christine felt her heart ache at the sight, a part of her still wanting to see the smile that was normally reserved for Jim or Leonard. "And you can still do that. I fail to see how my presence in this room will deter you from reaching that goal."

"I don't know why I expected you to understand. Even though you're supposed to be so logical, you still can't see what's right in front of your face. If you'll excuse me, I'll go see the captain, and look into arrange different accommodations." She hitched her bag back up onto her shoulder and went to brush past him, only for him to reach out and take hold of her upper arm. It was a gentle hold, but she could feel the raw strength in his grip as she fought the urge to pull her arm away. "Please, let go of me."

"I will, but only if you agree to allow me to explain before you head off to make your case." She gave him a sharp nod before taking a seat at the table, fixing a level gaze on him as she waited for his explanation. "I am a late addition to this crew, and there were no berths available. I looked through the crew roster and saw that you were assigned to this ship, so I informed the captain that it would be perfectly all right if we shared a berth. I can make certain that we'll only see each other in passing by taking duty shifts opposite of yours. I was trying to make the best of a bad situation. I'm sorry if you feel like I've overstepped, but…"

Christine noticed the faint green tinge that stained his cheeks, and her mind raced a little until it came to the only conclusion that made sense, her own cheeks flushing as she looked away from him. "And you would like me to take care of you when that time comes."

"Yes."

She looked back up at him, drawing in a long breath as she drew herself up to her full height. "I do not wish you to feel uncomfortable, Mister Spock. And I will be glad to perform whatever duties you need from me when that time comes. If you had asked me first, I wouldn't have flown off the handle quiet so badly." A sad smile fluttered across her face as she leaned back in her chair, gesturing for him to take a seat across from her. "If we're to make this work, I am going to need you to do one thing for me right now."

"And that would be?"

"Put my clothes away. You already took the prime drawers, so it's up to you to find room for my belongings. I'm going to get acquainted with Sickbay and the ship." Spock gave her a slight nod before taking her bag over to the drawers as she got to her feet and left her room, making certain to remember where it was located. The ship was smaller than the _Enterprise_, so she hoped that she wouldn't get turned around, but also knew that the stress of both working as a nurse and finishing up her training as a doctor would sometimes muddle her thoughts to the point where she couldn't remember a thing that she wanted to. It was an easy walk to the Sickbay, and she smiled to see Doctor Atkins checking over her inventory.

"I thought that I should check in with you, now that I've finally arrived, Doctor."

The woman looked up from her PADD and gave her a small smile. "Commander Chapel, it is very good to see you here at last! I know that your duties won't truly begin until tomorrow, but yes, it is good to touch base. Are your quarters to your liking? I know that we're a smaller ship than the _Enterprise_, so that means smaller accommodations."

"They'll be fine. I somehow acquired a roommate, however, and I'm really hoping they don't affect my concentration on finishing up my residency here on ship."

"If they do, feel free to use the bed in my office." Christine smiled at her as she picked up a free PADD off the desk and began to help Doctor Atkins with finishing up the inventory, knowing how important it was to have everything they needed before they started their journey, since the likelihood of finding what they needed in deep space was slim to none. By the time they were finished, Christine was feeling decidedly peckish, and she handed the PADD to Doctor Atkins before making her way down to the mess hall. There were a number of the crew there, and she suddenly found herself shy at the prospect of introducing herself to a whole new group of people.

Shaking her head a little, Christine smoothed her hands down her trousers, grateful that she had decided to go with the more serious, to her, look for finishing up her residency. It lent an air of composure to her that she hadn't felt while she was aboard the _Enterprise_. Making her way through the line, Christine took a seat at a free table in the corner of the room, trying to appear as unnoticeable as possible, knowing that introductions would start the next day when she and Doctor Atkins started the crew physicals. Soon, she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice she'd gotten a tablemate until she heard a soft cough.

Christine looked up to see that Spock had taken the seat across from her, and she couldn't stop the warm smile that came to her lips. "How did you know that I was here?"

"I stopped by Sickbay to see if you were still there, and Doctor Atkins informed me that you would most likely be here. I needed to eat, so it seemed like the most logical place to head. I hope you do not mind my joining you."

She shook her head a little before continuing to eat. "This is fine. I thought that I'd be all right with a brand new crew, and now I'm missing my friends. I should have reupped, but the _Enterprise_ already had two brilliant doctors, and there would have been no place for me to grow and learn there. And I might have been all right if you hadn't shown up unexpectedly."

"If I had known…"

"You would have chosen differently, I get that. But you chose to leave Jim's side. Why?"

Spock looked down into his plate, which told Christine that her question had gotten beneath his skin. "Because I needed a change of routine. I was becoming too complacent in my role as Jim's second in command. We were becoming too close, too familiar, and I felt like that was distracting me."

"Like I distracted you?" she couldn't help but shoot back, before she buried her chin her chest as she stabbed her fork into her food. That had been a stupid thing to say, and she tried to take a few calming breaths as she quieted the emotions roiling in her heart. She knew that those strong feelings would not help their situation, and she didn't want to alienate the one person she knew on the ship before they even got underway. "I'm sorry, that was rude, jealous, and uncalled for. And if you don't mind, please work the same shifts as myself. I am quickly finding that I want to connect with the one person I know here."

He nodded, and she was very grateful that he didn't comment on the fact that her eyes were shining wetly with unshed tears. "I believe that I can make that work for you. Did you want to explore the rest of the ship together once we finish?"

"I would like that very much," she replied quickly, a brilliant smile darting across her lips before she tampered down her emotional reaction. Once they were finished, Spock took care of their dishes and Christine relaxed back in her chair, thinking about how life had a funny way of working sometimes. She had never planned on this, she had wanted to be alone so that she could get over him, but now there would be no getting away from him for the next two years. "Oh, damn," she muttered aloud when she realized that she would have to conduct his physical, since that would be part of what she had to do to complete her residency.

"I'm sorry?"

"It will hopefully be nothing," she replied as she rose to her feet, clasping her hands behind her back as they made their way out of the mess hall and started to wander aimlessly around the decks, familiarizing themselves with the layout. There wasn't much to say, and she found it rather nice to just be with him as they walked, knowing that there was no need for the small talk that most people usually filled the air with. Instead, they were walking closely together in companionable silence, and that made her feel all the more connected to him in that moment. Still, though, there was a question burning on the tip of her tongue, and she took a deep breath as they rode up the turbolift to their deck. "Did you bring your lyre?"

"Of course I did, Christine."

"Would you play for me tonight? I know, it's probably a personal request, but I always enjoyed your playing aboard the _Enterprise_." She had wanted to say that she loved hearing him play, but she knew enough to keep the strong emotions under wrap, so as not to overwhelm him.

"I would be honored to do that for you, Christine."

She sighed a little as her shoulders relaxed, giving him a small nod as they turned into their quarters. As she took a seat on the sofa, Christine noticed for the first time that though their birth was somewhat spacious, there was only one bed. She and Spock would be sharing that tiny space for two years, and it would be a slow torture to be sleeping next to him and yet unable to touch him. Blinking rapidly, she tried to clear her eyes of tears as she listened to Spock tune his lyre before he took a seat next to her. She was thoroughly mesmerized by the way his long fingers moved over the strings, the Vulcan music sounding so beautiful to her ears, and by the time he had played for thirty minutes, that was all she could think of.

"Would you like to try playing?"

That was a question she had never expected from him, and she felt her mouth open a little as she tried to think of a response to his offer. "I would love that. But do you really want me to touch your instrument?" He nodded before handing the lyre to her. Hesitantly, she wrapped her hands around it, bringing it close to her chest before strumming her fingers along the strings, listening to the muffled sounds they made.

"You can't make it sing by hugging it against your torso. Hold it like I would."

She had to fight to keep from rolling her eyes, but she did as he told her, arranging the instrument like he would hold it. There was a comforting weight to it, the warmth of his hands on the wood slowly bleeding into her skin as she once more stroked her fingers against the strings. She tried to emulate the sounds that he made, but it sounded clunky and wrong to her ears. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

"Here, let me show you how to place your hands correctly on the instrument." He scooted closer to her, one arm going around her shoulders to gently take hold of her right arm, covering her fingers with his as he showed her where to place them on the strings. There was something so right about this embrace, and she breathed in the scent of him, trying to imprint all these new memories on her brain as he taught her how to pluck out a simple song.

"Thank you, Spock," she breathed out before handing the instrument back to him. "If you wouldn't mind, I might try to practice every day. I think that it might help with the stress of learning new responsibilities."

"Of course, Christine. Now, if you want to make yourself more comfortable, I'll see about making our quarters a little more like home for us."

She nodded, trying not to focus on the fact that he had called their quarters home. "That sounds lovely." Getting to her feet, she handed him the lyre before going over to the drawers, opening the top one reflexively, and finding that he had rearranged things and her clothing was now there. Smiling a little, she pulled out a comfortable dress and slipped into the bathroom, quickly changing and then brushing her hair before rejoining him in the larger room. "So, there's an elephant in our room," she said as she watched him place another piece of art on the walls.

"The fact that there's only one bed?"

She chuckled a little as she nodded, flopping down onto the sofa as she stared up at the ceiling. "It would be awkward to try and ask for another bed at this point. And I think that I can keep my hands to myself, but I haven't had another person in bed with me since Roger. Anytime I had sex, I would always return to my own bed afterwards. And while I'm being honest here, the reason why I never stayed was that would mean I was getting attached. And my heart, well, it's only ever settled on two people. And both of them were unattainable. Though I am older now, and less prone to flights of fancy."

He dipped his head as he came over to the sofa, taking a seat at her feet before lifting them and draping her legs over his lap as he took a few deep breaths. Christine wondered if he was meditating, and she closed her eyes so that she wouldn't inadvertently interrupt him. "I'm older, too, Christine, and finding myself wondering if the walls I've built up to keep my more human side safe from the world is more of a prison than I realized."

"I understand that, in quite a small way. When I was chasing after Roger, I kept all my feelings locked away in a box, wanting to keep my focus on him and him alone. It was quite difficult to learn how to appropriately deal with my emotions once he was gone. And you were the safest person to direct all those emotions on." She didn't open her eyes, not wanting to see the expression on his face, but then his hands came to rest on her shins, and she just knew that there wasn't anything more to say.

"Perhaps you did come on a little strong. But it was fascinating to see how you learned to navigate those feelings and rein them in a little. Though if you're willing to help me when the time comes, I suppose that you have retained some lingering affection for me."

"Of course, you're one of the smartest people I know, and being able to learn from you has been a wonderful thing. And now, getting to live with you for this journey will continue to help me learn and grow as a person." She opened her eyes and fixed her gaze on him. "I'm also hoping that we can forge a deeper friendship as the days go by." Spock nodded at her, and she felt a wide smile spread across her face as she nodded in return, hoping that her unexpected roommate truly would turn into the greatest opportunity that she had ever experienced in her life.


End file.
